Take It or Leave It
by Draco-loves-her
Summary: Draco Malfoy meets an odd girl while wandering the Hogwarts grounds. For a mudblood, she's not so bad... Draco learns some morals other than those of his family. May contain suggestive themes in later chapters but I'm not sure yet.


**Auther's Note: J. K. Rowling owns all hp characters and set and plot, etc. I give credit to an unknown person on omegle for the idea for Violet Walker, however... Enjoy!**

Violet Walker leaned against the castle's cold stone wall and brought the cigarette to her lips, taking a long drag. Classes were still in session, but she decided to skip out on this one. Today she didn't want to deal with Potions, mainly because she didn't want to go through the usual routine, which meant blowing up another cauldron. This generally resulted in spending time in detention. She'd much rather be right here, hidden away outside gazing at the seemingly endless trees and the glass surface if the lake. Violet blows out a trail of smoke and watches it disappear into nothingness before taking another drag. Violet's a bit of a loner, and can seem cold to others. She is a Muggleborn and proud of it. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, enjoys being different, and spends a lot of time in detention. She is incredibly stubborn, blunt, guarded, and witty. Violet has long black hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin, and has self harm scars and cuts on her wrists and forearms.

I walk outside from the great hall, to begin a stroll around the castle. I had a free period, and there wasn't much else to do, so I thought I'd get some fresh air. I round a corner, staying close to the castle wall, my shoes getting damp on the dewy grass, when I almost run into Violet headlong. "Hey there, stranger. How's life?" I say, smirking. "Fancy a snog, beautiful?" I say sarcastically.

"Oh piss off Malfoy," she says rolling her eyes and blowing the smoke away from him.

I chuckle. "Like I'd want to exchange saliva with a mudblood, no less a smoker at that." I say jokingly, leaning against the castle sidelong."

"So why are you talking to one in the first place?" Violet questions arching her eyebrow.

"Haven't got anything better to do" I say, acting nonchalant. I look her over warily, and notice long scratches on her smoking arm. "What's that there," I whisper. "Are you... Okay?" I can't explain the strange feeling I'm getting from her. It's as if I'm actually worried about her! "Don't be ridiculous," I think. "She's a mudblood."

She quickly pulls the sleeve over her arm, hiding the cuts and scars. "It's nothing," she says quickly.

I look at her questioningly, but didn't press her. I think back to the times this year alone I'd wanted to do the same as her, but couldn't. I'm such a coward. This girl at least has guts. I yawn, thinking about the sleepless nights wasted attempting to fix the cabinet. I wondered why she was so upset in side, and if it was anything similar to what I'd been feeling. She glances at him and offers him a drag of her cigarette by holding it out to him.

I look at the outstretched cigarette in disgust. "Isn't that one of those muggle disease giving things?" I say doubtfully. Violet smiles slightly. "Yes. Yes it is." She withdraws her hand and takes one last drag before putting it out.

"Are you trying to hurt yourself by doing that?" I ask, looking pointedly at the fag smoldering on the ground.

Violet shakes her head shrugging. "Not intentionally. Actually it helps me calm down."

Is that why you hurt your wrists, too? " I ask quietly. "I've thought about doing that, myself. "

She nods. "Yeah that's why I cut. But don't do it," she says quickly, looking at him.

I feel strange divulging that piece of information with this girl I've hardly talked to before, but she seems to understand what I'm going through. "What happened to you?" I ask boldly. "I mean.. To make you feel that way... I'll tell you mine if you tell me your reason. That is, if you promise never to tell anyone. " I almost regret promising to tell her, remembering that she was a Gryffindor. I couldn't shut my mouth around her for some reason.

I start to sweat, almost hoping she wouldn't tell me, but half hoping she would.

Violet looks over at him and eyes him carefully. Eventually she sighs. "Alright. Well it all started when I got my letter you see. I thought my parents would be proud. I thought they would think I'm special and great. Instead I was a monster to them. A freak. They were more than happy to ship me off. Then I get here and I thought I'd be accepted. Instead I was outcasted because of my blood status." She gives a humorless laugh.

My jaw drops. I never thought that muggles would hate to have a wizard child. If anything, I thought they'd be jealous. I feel so much empathy for her.

"My reason is different. But in some ways it is the same, " I say at a bare whisper.

She looks at him listening patiently.

I look at my feet, my Malfoy pride smashed in my moment of vulnerability.

She gently puts a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright," she says

"My.. Father. He's very... Controlling." I say carefully. "If I don't do very thing he expects, hold up the Malfoy name, be better than every muggle born in classes and quidditch, get into the favor of the da-" I cut my self off. I can't believe I almost told her my allegiance to you-know-who. I take a deep breath, and continue. "If I don't uphold to his standards, I shame him. And he'll beat me and torture me with crucio for embarrassing him. And if I do... It's just expected. I don't get shit." I snap bitterly, glaring at the black lake, where the giant squid is swimming large circles lazily.

Violet looks at him shocked. She thought his life was absolutely perfect. "I'm so sorry Draco."

She raps his arms around his shoulders and he stiffens, shocked and appalled by her touch. Then I soften, because, what the hell. I already told her pretty much everything. I rap my arms around her waist gently, and hugged her back. My stomach twisted involuntarily at contact with a muggle born, but I fought it off. The hole in my chest that had gnawed at me for so long through the last stressful months shrunk by the tiniest fraction.


End file.
